By Pastor Ngozi Asoya (Larryhappiday)
There’s a rise in the level of violence perpetrated against our daughters. Although I have no biological daughter, I fear for all my daughters everywhere and call for urgent steps to make our society safer for the girl child.
The gruesome murder of 300-level Adekunle Ajasin University student Ifeoluwa Adekunle and the horrific killing and harvesting of body parts from 300-level University of Port Harcourt student Justina Otuene are symptomatic of the alarming rise in gender-based violence against the girl child in Nigeria.
These heinous crimes highlight how vulnerable young female students have become to violence from those they trust. That one incident occurred off-campus while the other was allegedly committed by the victim’s boyfriend in his home, points to the lack of safety girls face even in spaces meant to be secure.
Interestingly, the subject of violence against youths was the subject of discussion on a radio programme Fourth Estate of the Realm on Unilag FM, hosted by Lekan Sote, in which I was a discussant. It was observed at the show that 25% of girls in Nigeria are exposed to one form of violence or the other before the age of 18 according to UNICEF research information. It was also observed that more female youths are exposed to violence which may now be reflecting in the rise of violence committed by women against their spouses and other men in their lives.
Sadly, violence targeting female students is becoming an endemic social problem all across Nigerian campuses and even in the larger society. Beyond the widely publicized cases of mass abductions of female students by armed groups in northern Nigeria, many more young women face threats of sexual assault, domestic violence, female genital mutilation and many others on a daily basis.
Why You Should Be Concerned
The first sign of civilization is the level of tolerance humans harbour for each other. It is civilization that makes you realize that we are built differently and that physical strength is not the barometer to survival.
Civilization dictates protection for the weak and vulnerable. The children, the sick and women deserve protection from society not otherwise. So everytime violence becomes a currency to transact business in any society, civilization is on the retreat as we have in Afghanistan.
Civilization dictates protection for the weak and vulnerable. The children, the sick and women deserve protection from society not otherwise.
Wherever women are not free, that society is not free. As a matter of fact, there should be social measuring system that ties the level of female freedom to its’ level of civilization. Why? Every society where you do not see women moving freely to work or leisure, you can be sure that society is not habitable.
Protecting Nigeria’s girl child should be paramount. Stiffer penalties are needed for gender-based crimes as a deterrent measure. Police and university administrators must also improve security infrastructure, while oriented gender-sensitivity training for law enforcement officers. Ultimately stemming violence against girls and women starts with cultural change at the family and community level regarding attitudes that engender low self-worth and the normalization of violence targeting females.
… everytime violence becomes a currency to transact business in any society, civilization is on the retreat as we have in Afghanistan.
Protecting The Girl Child
Every society where you do not see women moving freely to work or leisure, day or night, you can be sure that society is not habitable.
Parents have a vital role to play by teaching moral values to children of all genders.
Religious institutions and traditional leaders should preach strongly against violence targeting women.
The Nigerian government must make resources available for nationwide public enlightenment campaigns to protect vulnerable girls and sternly tackle a culture that devalues the lives of women.
Conclusion
With concerted action across all levels of society, we can curb the rising wave of destructive violence threatening Nigeria’s girl child and our collective future. With women becoming more visible in national affairs, we should be seen aspiring for more safety in the school and workplaces. Who knows, we may one day make the girl child confident enough to have an all female space crew
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